La substantifique moelle
Meaning: The essential substance of something, reached only by real effort.
Language: French
Literally: The substantific marrow
Category: Food & Drink
Origin: From Rabelais's prologue to Gargantua, where the reader is told to be like a dog cracking a bone for the marrow inside. Rabelais coined substantifique, and it has never had another use.
More idioms — Food & Drink
- On ne fait pas d'omelette sans casser des œufs — Worthwhile results require some damage along the way.
- Refiler la patate chaude — To hand an awkward problem to someone else.
- Dans le pétrin — In serious trouble.
- Avoir du pain sur la planche — To have a great deal of work ahead.
- Manger son pain blanc en premier — To take the easy part at the start and leave the hard part for later.
- C'est du nanan — It is delicious — or, by extension, extremely easy.
More French idioms
- Être médusé — To be struck dumb with astonishment.
- Motus et bouche cousue — Not a word to anyone.
- À fleur de peau — Raw and easily provoked, of emotions; or just at the surface.
- Avoir bon pied bon œil — To be in excellent shape, especially for one's age.
- Avoir le pied marin — To keep one's balance on a moving deck; to be unshaken by turbulence.
- Au pied levé — At a moment's notice, with no preparation.
From our compliments & insults
- Joli comme un cœur — Utterly charming or adorable.
- Tu as un cœur d'or — You are genuinely kind and generous.
- Tu déchires — You're awesome — you totally rock.
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